


A Heavy Cost

by gheraynie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Happy Ending (depends on whose), M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gheraynie/pseuds/gheraynie
Summary: Love, Family and Peace are gained without something in return; and betrayal comes with a price. If only they knew that in the beginning.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke/Sawamura Daichi, Michimiya Yui/Sawamura Daichi
Kudos: 12





	1. Guilt and Peace

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta Read. Constructive criticism is welcomed. As always, hope you enjoy it!

A small, breathless gasp suddenly broke the stillness of the night.

“Mommy, look!” exclaimed a child, “The moon is dancing with the water!”

“Not so loud, sweetheart.” a woman gently chided. She continued, “But yes, what a beautiful sight.” The woman returned the glimmering amber eyes with a smile, her eyes mildly crinkling. It is truly indeed a beautiful sight, silent but still its presence is overwhelming. 

“Stupid ‘Tsumu, the moon is not dancing,” a young voice quite-similar to the child retorted, “He’s swimming.”

“Yer the one stupid, stupid ‘Samu!” The child swivelled towards the voice, giving an identical pair of large, hooded amber-coloured eyes with a glare.

“Now, don’t you both start. Osamu let go of your brother’s cloak, and put his hood back on. And, Atsumu, sit down properly or you’ll fall. Lower your voices. We’ll be there soon.”

“Yes, mommy.” said the children timidly, before gazing back down towards the moon.

Silence returned once again to the three; letting the gentle, movement of the disturbed water descend over them.

They have arrived, the wooden oars left alone.

“Atsumu, Osamu. Now listen closely.” She leaned forward, small hand tightly held in each of her palm. “Mommy has to go–

“W-wa–” loudly questioned Atsumu, trembling eyes tearing up.

“—Shh… my darlings.” said the woman “Mommy has to go away for a bit. Mommy won’t take long.”

Osamu repeated his protest, “B-but…,” the slight tremor in his voice was clear as glass. He continued, “But why, mommy?”

The mother tightened her grip. “I… You’ll both know soon.” She bit her lips, hard, hoping that she won’t slipped.

“Can’t we go with you?” Atsumu begged; fat drop of tears cascading down his cheeks, mirroring his own brother.

She closed her eyes, “Oh, oh, no, you can’t, my loves. You can’t.” Her breath warm on the children’s hand as she asserted mournfully.

“I need you both to promise me. Promise me to never follow me, ok. Just wait here.” She hardened her gaze. She stared straight at Atsumu first, then at Osamu.

Knowing that their mother would not take no for an answer, the children agreed solemnly. “I promise, mommy.” Her kiss remained warm on their once-dried knuckles.

“I also need you both to promise me to never let go of each other’s hands.” She turned her gazed towards their clasped hands, resting between them, hidden by the plain, rare cloth of their cloak. “No matter what happens here never let go of each other. Never let go.”

Her strict-laden voice prompted the children to only nod, and to firmly say, “We won’t, mommy. We promise.”

Nodding once, satisfied that her children were going to follow her words, the woman placed her palms on Atsumu’s cheeks and laid her lips on his forehead. “May the light always shine your path, my dearest Atsumu. And my love shall be forever in your embrace, my courageous prince.”

She then turned to Osamu, cupping his cheeks and whispered similar words on his forehead. “May the light always shine your path, my dearest Osamu. My love shall be forever in your embrace, my wise prince.”

She pulled them as close as possible. Muffled sniffles and gut-wrenching sobs formed a knot in her chest. She was really gifted with bright children. She rained down kisses on their head, on their cheek – anywhere her lips could reach – ingraining her love in them.

Seconds passed then a minute; then another minute and another one. It was not enough but she needed to go. The screams, begging for mercy and for help, in her head won't stop.

It was hard but then gradually Atsumu and Osamu loosened their grip on their mother’s soft cloak.

“Now, again, never let go of each other.” She repeated. Worry would never leave a mother alone. “Sit tight. It will rock a bit.”

Atsumu and Osamu watched with red-rimmed eyes their mother taking off her cloak, placing one leg over the gunwale and into the water, followed by her other leg. A small sound of splash echoed as her frame was engulfed by the water. The children stood up, and carefully peered into the water; panic and worry etched on their face.

“M-mommy…?” uttered the eldest, his hands still intertwined with Osamu’s.

The woman’s head emerged. Teeth chattering a bit, she asserted, “I’m ok, it’s alright. Sit down, my loves. Just wait here.” The twins obeyed. After a last glance of her children, the woman let the illuminated water take her away – a silent prayer continued to echo in her head.

Her soft smile, watery gentle amber eyes and fond yet sorry expression would soon be forever gone from Atsumu and Osamu’s mind.


	2. Returned Debt

They waited, and waited.

“Samu, do you see mommy?” asked Atsumu again. His head turned to Osamu.

Osamu replied sadly, “No, ‘Tsumu. You?” Still, there was no sign of their mother.

“No, nothing’s here.” Their neck was beginning to get sore. Their intertwined hands were clammy; the light post-midnight breeze providing little comfort.

Osamu let out a tired sigh. His eyes were beginning to drop. “We should lie down.” He wanted to stay awake but, as most children were especially without a nap, he could not win against the night. The smooth movement of the boat only made it harder to fight the sleep away.

“I guess– ” a yawn – the _n_ th time since two hours ago – left Atsumu again, “–so. Yeah, yeah, we should do that.”

Atsumu grabbed the pillow behind them and laid it down on the bottom boards. There was enough space for the both of them. Osamu, meanwhile, took the wool blanket he had grabbed when their mother had hurriedly ushered them out from their home. It was dirty, and some forest leaves still stuck to it but it would do.

They carefully lay down; their small frame close together under the blanket. Two pairs of drowsy orbs listlessly gawked at the blank, dark sky.

“Mommy will come back right, ‘Tsumu.” Osamu squeezed Atsumu’s hand.

“Oh, of-of course, mommy said she’ll come back.” Atsumu affirmed; the shakiness of his voice lost in Osamu’s shoulder.

Osamu furrowed deeper inside the blanket, “Yeah…”, letting his eyelids shut, hoping that an exasperated yet loving look will greet him when morning comes, like always.

No longer able to keep awake anymore, Osamu uttered softly “Night, ‘Tsumu.”

“Night, night, ‘Samu.” replied Atsumu with a yawn. He pulled Osamu closer; his brother’s light breathing lulling him further. And soon after, Atsumu had also fallen asleep, holding tightly onto his mother’s last words.

The children slept, undisturbed. Not even the sudden gust of wind that rocked the boat a bit woke them up.

A human figure glided towards the wooden boat; their shiny light grey hair gently following behind, its raven ends blending in with the dark water. Sharp, caramel brown, with a tint of gold, irises silently observed them; cherry lips in its natural rested-state.

The children remained asleep as they crouch down; two trembling pale hands reached out from a charcoal-stained robe. Strands of raven hair touched their palm while their other hand slipped under the blanket and curled around a pair of small legs. They carefully stood up, Atsumu in their arms, but then stopped.

They blinked, surprised; their head tilted slightly to the side. But then, their lips curled into a gentle smile. They crouched fully back down. After securing Atsumu, his raven strands tickling his neck, their other hand gently moved Osamu into their embrace. 

Then, they slowly turned, and silently walked away.

A touch of moonlight and they were gone, leaving nothing but a gust of wind and the remnants of a small water vessel behind.


	3. Regret

Several hooves repeatedly stumped the ground as men with horses traverse the forest.

 _Faster, faster!_ A rider silently urged; desperation visible in his tightened hold on the reins, and his glistening dark brown eyes and bitten lips. Nothing mattered to him; neither the excruciating pain in his abdomen, a souvenir from the recent battle, nor the cold wind that bit into his skin. He couldn’t be stopped. He won’t, not yet.

He continued to rush onwards, ignoring the begging and concerned voices that trailed behind him, until he reached a wide meadow. He hurriedly went down from his stallion, remembering to take the oil lamp with him. His worn out legs forcedly dash towards the large body of water a couple further away, three names leaving from his lips.

The man called out to his wife and children, repeatedly and worriedly until his voice strained. His eyes moved rapidly, searching desperately for any signs of his family across the field.

There was nothing, but he persisted. A dreadful feeling, one that had settled deeply in him since a long time ago, began to stir wildly. Scenarios that he would never want to imagine raced through his mind – one that he desperately prayed it not to be true.

Suddenly, a frightened gasp left him. He jumped into the lake; fear and worry had dampened any pain the icy-cold water inflicted to him. Only one thought crossed his mind, _Please, please. Let those not be them_ , as he swam towards a cluster of unidentified things floating on the lake.

A wood, then another wood, and another one.

His hands blindly reached for everything around him, his eyes straining to see through the dark. Relief flooded him but the fear never left. It grew.

“Your highness!” screamed several men. They immediately dived into the water, some staying behind for any potential danger on the land, and ready to rush back towards the palace if extra help was needed.

They searched, above and deep as possible into the water.

Then he saw it.

He emerged from the water, and stepped into the land. A female body cradled in his arms. His men followed behind silently, heads bowed down similar to their comrades.

He laid her down gently to the ground. Then he turned around.

“SHINSUKE!” he roared, his head tilted up towards the sky, glaring at the moon. Tears were pouring out rapidly from his eyes. “Shinsuke!” he howled; anger, pain and desperation all mixed together, forming a horrible sound like a phonograph in its last stand yet still forcing itself to bellow out the record.

“Your Majesty!” several voice shouted at once as he fell into his knees.

“Give them back, Shinsuke! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, Shin! Not them! Please, don’t take them away from me!”

“Daichi!” repeated one of his men, a silver-haired. He moved, placing a hand on his long-time friend’s shoulder, hoping to give a bit of comfort but he was ignored. Like his fellow men, they could only watched in distress as their once-proud king desperately begged in his knees at the sky.

Daichi let out an anguished scream. “Atsumu! Osamu!” he cried out his children’s name, over and over again, begging for them to be returned.

Moonlight prickled his skin, words once raged from a voice of his deep love rang in his head.

_“I curse you, Dai– Sawamura. I have given you everything yet you betrayed me. No rest shall come to you and your kingdom; every day will be dyed in red, until you return my children back.”_

Then it passed, gone swiftly and suddenly, leaving him nothing but to grief over his wife and the loss of his children as the long-awaited peace he robbed from his people returned.

* * *

A quiet chuckle escaped from their lips as they watch the man return to beg again in despair.

“Mommy!” A smile bloomed in their face. Their eyes, turning away from the man, brightened with fondness and joy as two almost similar-to-theirs pair of eyes, tired but earnest, looked up to him with their lips curled, their small dimples in plain view.

They knelt down, and asked “Shall we go home?”

“Yeah!” beamed Atsumu and Osamu as they leaped into their opened arms. The twins were getting heavier but their weight was comforting. They slowly glided into the lake, holding their children securely in their arms, missing them dearly.

A gentle warm atmosphere engulfed them as Atsumu continued chatter about their time with a raven-haired, metallic dark blue-eyed child at the night festival and Osamu occasionally joining in with his own recount of the night.

A step and then the three returned home, leaving the humans once again a light in the sky brighter than ever before.


End file.
